


silence is subjective;

by unintentionallyangsty



Category: Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency (TV 2016)
Genre: Angst, Arguing, Boys Kissing, Brotzly - Freeform, Comfort, Crying, Cuddling & Snuggling, Domestic, Domestic Fluff, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Established Relationship, Fights, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Kissing, Light Angst, M/M, Romance, dirk is a bit blase with his words, todd is a soft emotional wreck
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-07
Updated: 2017-12-07
Packaged: 2019-02-11 15:16:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,937
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12938001
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/unintentionallyangsty/pseuds/unintentionallyangsty
Summary: As it turns out, Amanda isn’t the only Brotzman sibling that’s capable of doling out somewhat long and painfully drawn-out bouts of the silent treatment.Dirk learns this particular bit of trivia the hard way.





	silence is subjective;

**Author's Note:**

> what else do y'all expect from me at this point *confetti emoji*

The fight had been over a small thing, trivial really. Something so small and inconsequential that Todd’s having kicked up a fuss over it at all might have bordered on being a laughable concept, were it not exactly what had happened.

“What do you mean ‘demoted’?” Todd had cried, his face falling so spectacularly that Dirk almost grinned at the sight of it.

“You’re arguing!” he had countered instead, turning from the case files scattered across his lap (and the cushions of Todd’s sofa) to give Todd a wry look.

“I always argue.” Todd had pointed out with a helpless shrug.

“Yes,” Dirk had conceded, rolling his eyes a bit before giving him a pointed look. “But that was more an Assistant-Todd thing to do. You’ve grown! And that’s why you were promoted! ‘Were’ being the key-word, here, all things considered.”

“I don’t believe this.” Todd murmured, and Dirk would concede that he really should have begun to take the hint of the situation falling rapidly out of control from Todd’s slowly darkening expression and tone right about here. “I just disagreed on the motive for the murder!”

“Well I disagree with your disagreement!” Dirk had replied airily, turning back to the case file with a dismissive wave of his hand. “And, as the head of the agency, and the only one with his name on the plaque, my word has the power of ‘end-all’ here, so!”

“I’m your _partner_.” Todd had argued and, though Dirk couldn’t see him, he was certain that he was gesturing in exasperation. “My disagreements should at least be considered, don’t you think?”

“Not anymore.” Dirk had dismissed, grinning brightly and turning back to face Todd again (forcing himself to ignore the drop his stomach gave almost as soon as he’d spoken the words, a tell-tale sign from the Universe that something was most likely about to go sideways). “At least, not within the agency. Not with that attitude!”

The words were spoken brightly, but the effect they had was anything but. Todd had seemed to falter briefly, before he squared his shoulders, his incredulous expression shuttering into something cold and closed-off. Something Dirk had rarely seen before, and would not deny the small, fearful drop his heart had given at the sight of.

“Todd?” he’d inquired, the smile dropping off his own face when the grim line his companion’s mouth had hardened into didn’t even twitch in response. “Come on, now. There’s an entire unsolved case on our hands!”

Todd’s eyes had narrowed, and he’d looked almost disgusted for a flickering moment. He did not answer, however, nor did he move as if making to approach.

Dirk had swallowed before forcing himself to roll his eyes lightheartedly. “Come _on_ , Todd.” he’d teased. “I’ll listen to your forwarded theory, even if I don’t technically agree with it.” here he’d brandished the case file. “I need your help!”

When the only response he had received had been Todd continuing to eye him skeptically, his jaw tightening almost imperceptibly, Dirk had huffed in frustration. “You’re being ridiculous Todd.”

It was this that seemed to have really done it. After a long moment of silence (which was apparently all Todd was capable of offering, now), the words hanging heavily on the air between them, Todd’s eyes had widened before his face had screwed up. With little more than a baleful glare tossed over his shoulder, he’d turned and began striding toward the door.

“Todd!” Dirk had called in alarm, scrambling up from the sofa to….do _something_ , and only managing to take a single step forward before the door was slammed unapologetically behind Todd’s hastily retreating form, and Dirk therefore left with nothing but the stubborn silence ringing out within the empty apartment.

“Well….damn.”

That had been nearly 24 hours prior, and Dirk was really beginning to feel his patience with the entire situation beginning to wear thin.

Which was hardly his fault. Were Todd to possibly discuss with him exactly what had upset him in the first place, maybe _then_ they could actually get somewhere with this entire fiasco, and take a step closer to putting the entire thing behind them. This, however, would require Todd actually being around to do so. As it was, Dirk hadn’t seen him since the actual….disagreement itself. And he rather doubted that Todd would be willing to talk the entire thing over, when they did see each other again.

“Todd’s not coming in today.” Were the first words out of Farah’s mouth when Dirk stepped into the office the morning after the events (the night before having found Dirk spending a long and miserably cold night alone in his and Todd’s shared bed), short and clipped and to the point, her eyes only rising briefly from her laptop to address Dirk before falling again.

“He’s staying in your apartment.” Dirk guessed, quite certain of his own hunch and not bothering to add a note of question to the words, therefore muddying the already murky situation with false pretenses.

Farah heaved a small sigh, but kept her gaze trained stubbornly on the screen of her laptop. “I don’t want to get involved.” she finally replied, at last.

“Well, you’re already involved, clearly.” Dirk had pointed out, waving his hands a little and trying not to feel disappointed when he scanned his gaze around the rest of the office, finding it empty of any other occupants and confirming Farah’s words silently to himself with a defeated swallow.

“I–Well–” Farah huffed a little before glancing pleadingly up at him. “Any more than I already am, okay? I’m not–Well. I’m not qualified for that.”

“You’re qualified for anything.” Dirk dismissed easily, moving further into the room and letting his bag fall to the floor before Farah’s desk (she hated that, but he couldn’t bring himself to actually hang it on one of the designated hooks on the wall behind the door) with a small sigh. “Todd can’t skip work.” he finally declared, getting back to the issue at hand. “He’s out of sick days.”

“You don’t give us sick days.” Farah pointed out with a raised brow. “Legally I’m not even sure you can. And, on that same point, if anyone’s actually earned their fair share of sick days, it’s probably Todd.”

Dirk frowned a little, but allowed her the point. It was correct, after all. His initial statement had been a fib. He wasn’t sure he could remember the last time Todd had stayed home from the agency office, the thought alone making the emptiness of the room that much more palpable. “Did he say why?” Dirk finally inquired, a little helplessly and quite unsure of what else he was supposed to say.

Farah shot him another pointed look for his trouble, but eventually responded. “He didn’t say much of anything, Dirk.” she exhaled slightly. “I assume you got even less.”

Dirk quirked a brow, his head cocking along with it as he studied Farah in growing confusion. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

Farah blinked, her eyes widening a little before she took on a slightly considering expression. “I–You–He’s–You know how he is. How–how he gets, anyway” she finally sputtered, after a long moment, looking suddenly as if the conversation had taken a turn she hadn’t been expecting. (Something else Dirk knew that she was not fond of.)

“How does he get?” Dirk challenged at once.

“He–” Farah pulled an incredulous face (an expression Dirk was really tiring of being faced with, if he were being totally honest). “I’m not the one who’s–I’m not his boyfriend, Dirk.” she finally replied, a little apologetically. “I’m not the one you should be talking to about this. About any of this.” she tacked on hastily, when Dirk opened his mouth to argue.

It was a very pointed end to the conversation, Dirk had known Farah long enough to tell this much. With a defeated pout he scooped his bag from the ground, and made his way toward the sofa tucked into the corner, willing himself to begin considering the case at hand.

Needless to say, he wasn’t very successful, opting to spend long moments with his gaze focused distantly on the far wall of the office, or his hands tangled into a knot in his lap, rather than on the case file he’d spread out before himself.

The rest of the day had followed more or less in the same fashion and, by the time Dirk had waved a weary goodbye to Farah, shooting her a small ghost of a smile as he’d departed, he was quite ready for the day to be over entirely, prepared to go back home to an empty apartment and spend the rest of the evening in solitude as he was.

Which was why he found it somewhat surprising when he entered his and Todd’s shared apartment despondently, only to find Todd himself standing in the corner of the kitchen, eyes wide as they watched Dirk’s entrance, his hands clutched around a can of soup he was drawing from the open cabinet beside him.

“Todd!” Dirk cried, striding forward and brightening immediately, only to falter when Todd seemed to bristle slightly, eyeing Dirk narrowly before hastily turning back to the task at hand. “Todd,” Dirk repeated with a huff, crossing his arms and barely resisting the urge to stamp his foot impatiently. “We’re past this, surely.”

They were not, however, past anything, if Todd’s continued, stubborn silence was anything to go by. Or the way he slammed the can of soup down onto the countertop with particularly brutal force, the sound echoing joltingly through the room.

Dirk sighed, his shoulders dropping slightly at the cool response. “Todd,” he began again, determined not to leave the conversation hanging a second time. “Listen. About before–Last night, I mean…” he trailed off, watching on bated breath for any sign of change in Todd’s stance. When it seemed none was forthcoming besides the slight tensing of his shoulders, Dirk continued. “We really need to talk about things. You can’t just!” he flailed a bit, gesturing wildly with his hands though Todd couldn’t see him. “Shut me out! That isn’t how this works!”

There was no reply, and Dirk groaned slightly, willing himself not to simply stride forward and spin Todd around, forcing him to look at him and therefore forcibly initiating the conversation they needed to have. It was a ridiculous notion, Dirk conceded to himself. There was no way Todd would take at all kindly to being forced into anything. Unless….

“Todd Brotzman.” he began again, forcing his tone into something stronger and more commanding, praying that Todd wouldn’t catch the quaver behind the words.

It didn’t seem that he did, Dirk mused, as almost immediately Todd shoulders tensed further, and he turned to shoot Dirk a bewildered expression over his shoulder.

“We can’t go on like this forever.” Dirk reasoned softly, his heart skipping a little when Todd’s gaze flickered away, as though he were considering the words (which meant progress). “There is no way I’m going to spend another entire evening without you talking to me.” Dirk pleaded, glancing for a brief moment at the bed in the corner and frowning a little at the memory of the night before. “You need to talk to me or I’ll just–I’ll have to just–I can make you!”

Todd raised a brow, and seemed ready to open his mouth to reply, before he seemed to remember something, and his expression fell again. He shook his head slightly, almost apologetically, before beginning to turn back to the countertop.

“No!” Dirk cried, allowing himself to stride forward in frustration and, before he was fully aware of what he was doing, leapt back into Todd’s line of sight.

With a grunt, Todd made to move past, his hands coming up to grapple at Dirk’s arms when the taller man stepped between him and the exit. “Nnh… _Dirk_!” he snapped, shooting Dirk a furiously affronted expression when his hands wrapped around Todd’s own arms. “Let me go.”

“Aha!” Dirk yelped in triumph, grinning slightly. “Not until you talk to me!”

“I _am_ you absolute asshole.” Todd snapped out between grit teeth, jerking his elbows roughly backward in an attempt to free them from Dirk’s grasp. In retaliation, Dirk yanked them back toward himself (finally allowing himself the small victory of stamping his foot in frustration), and the two wobbled dangerously.

“I _mean_ about what happened!” Dirk cried, still tugging slightly. “I’m not an idiot, Todd!”

“Well you’re acting like one.” Todd insisted, making a last effort to push his way out of the kitchen with a truly surprising amount of strength when–

The two toppled over with the force of the shove, Dirk falling onto his ass with a small _ooph!_ and Todd falling quite ungracefully into his lap, their legs tangled uncomfortably.

Dirk willed himself not to blush too obviously (though he was certain he was failing spectacularly at that particular task), and instead cried, “ _Why_ won’t you talk to me?!”

“Get off me!” Todd demanded.

“You’re on me.” Dirk pointed out, quite unhelpfully if Todd’s frustrated grunt was anything to go by, but surged quickly upward so that his arms were wrapped around Todd’s shoulders, effectively pinning him in place (though how much longer he could hold the position he really was not sure). “And not until we talk! Properly.”

“ _Ah_!” Todd cried, struggling and pressing at Dirk’s chest with his hands for another long, tense moment before–

Before he seemed to freeze, his breaths coming out in short, wheezing pants as he eyed Dirk’s hopeful expression with a bewildered one of his own. There was a beat, before Todd’s face seemed to crumble, and he along with it, his head falling to rest on Dirk’s shoulder, his forehead hot against the skin of Dirk’s neck.

For a long moment, the only sound in the room was Todd’s desperate, wet breaths. Then, “….M’sorry.” he whispered, the words low and tremulous.

Dirk immediately tightened his hold around Todd’s shoulders, shifting so that they were sat more comfortably, his legs crossed and Todd still sat in his lap. “Todd,” he murmured soothingly. “You don’t–” he sighed slightly. “Me too. Did I–” Dirk paused, biting his lip and mulling the words over before continuing, slowly, “Did it hurt you that badly?”

“I just–” Todd exhaled softly, the breath ghosting tantalizingly along Dirk’s neck, before he pulled away slightly to glance up and meet Dirk’s gaze head on, his eyes glassy and red. “What you said…about–about the title. Or–Or rank or whatever…”

“The titles are all made up anyway, Todd!” Dirk replied gleefully. “You know this.”

Todd huffed a bit. “Right, but…” he trailed off, his gaze dropping uncomfortably away.

“But it still stung.” Dirk finished for him, his heart twisting a bit when Todd nodded meekly, his gaze still trained somewhere behind Dirk’s head, rather than on Dirk himself. “Hey,” Dirk prodded to rectify this, smiling a little in victory when Todd’s startling blue gaze met his again. “You’re right. I’m sorry and, as my partner,” his smile widened a bit at Todd’s own small one. “I should really listen to what you have to say more often.”

“Hm,” Todd hummed consideringly, his brow furrowing in what Dirk knew was amusement. “That’s something I never thought I’d hear you say.”

“Well it took a lot to say it believe me.” Dirk replied immediately, grinning at the small, delighted chuckle the words earned him.

Todd sobered much too soon for Dirk’s liking, however, the small dimples in his cheeks disappearing to make way for a frown. “I am sorry though, Dirk.” he murmured, wincing a little. “I–Sometimes it just–”

“No need to apologize, Todd.” Dirk dismissed easily, leaning forward to press a soft kiss against his boyfriend’s cheek and grinning at how Todd’s eyes fell automatically closed at the contact. “I knew what I was getting into when I started dating a Brotzman, obviously.”

Todd cocked his head slightly, a smile worming its way back onto his face. “What do you mean?”

“Well,” Dirk began cheekily. “Amanda literally left us for four vampire men in an old van when she was angry with you.” he pointed out. “Therefore exhibiting one of the most dramatic displays of the silent treatment I have _ever_ witnessed.” he pressed another sloppy kiss to Todd’s cheek. “Must be a family trait.”

There was a beat, before Todd burst into delighted laughter, the corners of his eyes crinkling and his cheeks dimpling again with the force of it. Dirk grinned brightly at the sound, his arms tightening around Todd’s shoulders as they shook with mirth.

“God, you’re right.” Todd admitted, when he’d sobered slightly, his smile falling into something smaller, much softer, and his gaze dropping unsubtly to rest on Dirk’s lips for a moment. “So…” he began slowly, bringing a hand up to fiddle at the fabric of Dirk’s collar. “Any breakthroughs on that case?” His eyes were bright and curious when they found Dirk’s again, his cheeks still flushed with laughter and a small smile still playing on his face.

“Hm,” Dirk shrugged slightly before leaning forward so that their faces were mere inches apart, watching as Todd followed suit so that the distance between them was almost closed. “The case can wait, I think.” He leaned up to capture Todd’s lips beneath his own, then, smiling slightly into the kiss when Todd moaned happily.

It was, quite possibly, the most beautiful sound he had ever heard.

**Author's Note:**

> hi uh todd brotzman deserves to be held and cherished n that's just the tea for today 
> 
> (in case i haven't been totally obvious, you can find me at my blog [here!](http://elijahwoodnot.tumblr.com/) ily all <3<3
> 
> (ps this is for lee tbh ily <3)


End file.
